Farmers must be the only folks who understand the need for strong borders.
Building my Fence
- Thread starter EddieWalker
- Start date
- Views: 13376
RancherGuy
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2010
- Messages
- 301
- Location
- Rosenberg, TX
- Tractor
- Kubota L3710; JD 5425, 6105R, 7130-P; IH 1086
One more point about unrolling wire. My first idea that worked for a while was to run a metal pipe through the roll, then with the roll horizontal, run a chain on each end between the tractor bucket and pipe. This suspends it horizontally above the ground. I can either pull the wire to unroll, or drive the tractor backwards to unroll.
But one day I found an even better option - while working alone. I unrolled the fence on the ground right next to the posts, or as close as reasonable. To unroll, I kicked and pushed it with my feet. Easy as long as the ground is flat. Then came the "rise to vertical" process. First I made up some wire pieces, like C shapes, then starting at one end, I leaned the fence up against the posts and loosely hooked the fence to the posts at intervals until it all was up. Then I walked back and forth repeatedly, moving the fence closer and closer into it's final place.
Agreed. I used hot wire all around inside perimeter- to keep my mini horses off the fence- and the outside perimeter to keep the neighbors dogs away from the horses
herm0016
Platinum Member
using only staples on the corners will loose your tension over a few seasons. best way that I like is cutting the verticals and wrapping each of the horizontals back to it self, with at least 3 or 4 twists around itself with the tension on. let the tension go and then a few staples to keep them sliding up and down.
H braces seem to work well here, our soil is crazy dense and dry though, wood posts last nearly forever. it takes a couple buckets of water to drill a hole with the 3 point auger and often someone hanging on the back for down pressure. I also find my short runs loose tension more easily. i would not hard staple every 50, loose staple will hold it to the ground on a rise or fall and let it expand and contract. Recently completed about 1300 feet of 40 in field fencing for our sheep with a single hot wire. my longest run is about 500 feet and stays nice, t posts every 8 or 10 and h braces at corners with as much tension as I dared.
H braces seem to work well here, our soil is crazy dense and dry though, wood posts last nearly forever. it takes a couple buckets of water to drill a hole with the 3 point auger and often someone hanging on the back for down pressure. I also find my short runs loose tension more easily. i would not hard staple every 50, loose staple will hold it to the ground on a rise or fall and let it expand and contract. Recently completed about 1300 feet of 40 in field fencing for our sheep with a single hot wire. my longest run is about 500 feet and stays nice, t posts every 8 or 10 and h braces at corners with as much tension as I dared.
herm0016
Platinum Member
This is my process as well. usually I will raise and secure one end, un roll and put some tension on, then walk the fence and make sure its not hung up on anything. pick up the top and push the bottom into where you want it at the post with my boot on the way back to the loose end. a couple hooks on a long run with a bit of tension keeps it vertical. finish tension to what you want, secure the far end and walk the line with the tpost clips.
I also mostly work alone. I have a wire mesh wagon with all my supplies and tools, and I grab it on the forks for longer treks.
horses will eat next to the fence if you do not energize it. the likely hood of catching a foot in the barbed wire is 100 % over a five year period. they will get in a wire under 10 inches from the ground if you wait long enough.
OP
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I don't want the horses to get hurt, but I'm struggling to believe that with the barbwire an inch off of the ground, and an inch below the 2x4 woven wire, that they will get a hoof caught in there. This picture shows the barb wire on the bottom of the fence. I want to stop coyotes and hogs from digging under the fence, or at least slow them down enough that I can find where they are digging and fill their holes with concrete.
its a horse thing.
they put a front foot right up under the wire if they try to reach over and when playing they will run right to the fence and put a foot as close as possible and turn. eventually ...........
what you show is a death trap.
i had a colt ready to win and was entered in a big futurity. 2 days before leaving he stuck a foot through the bottom of woven wire similar to that that a foot should not have fit through.
they put a front foot right up under the wire if they try to reach over and when playing they will run right to the fence and put a foot as close as possible and turn. eventually ...........
what you show is a death trap.
i had a colt ready to win and was entered in a big futurity. 2 days before leaving he stuck a foot through the bottom of woven wire similar to that that a foot should not have fit through.
MAX-24-Dean
Veteran Member
Growing up we had 30 head of horse stock. We had to tie the bottom barb wire to the 2x4 field fence to make sure the approx. 1 inch distance was maintained so the horses could not step the barb wire down and get thier hoof between the barb wire and the field fence. We had a clay soil that when it got wet the weight of the horses could push the barb wire into the ground and then slip thier hoof through above the barb wire. Only solution was to remove the barb wire or tie it up to the 2x4 fence at 12" intervals. Another bailing wire project that was welll done.
A tool was made by our ranch hand that is similiar to this and made it faster to tie the wire to the fence.
